Shadow
by InTheYearOfTheCat
Summary: Giselle is thrilled when her final school project reunites her with the man who changed her life, but what will happen when she realizes that the man she fell in love with is just a shadow of his former self?


Disclaimer – I do not own Pokemon.

Ash looked up at the tall school building as he finally arrived at his destination. Children of all ages were running about the vast and colorful campus, feeding and grooming their Pokemon into top shape, all with the dream that they would one day become the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world.

It had been almost three years since he last visited the Poketech school for Pokemon, one of the highest rated Pokemon schools in the Kanto region; and by the looks of things, the school hadn't changed a bit. The building was beautiful, towering over every other house and store in the city. A small pond was located on the campus, full of common water Pokemon such as Goldeen and Magicarp. A few young boys were fishing for new Pokemon, and young girls were swimming along happily in the water, splashing each other and giggling quietly while older boys looked on lustfully. The rest of the campus was kept in top shape. The grass was flawless, and bushes resembling the shape of Pokemon were lined up all around the school. It was a truly beautiful sight.

As a child Ash always dreamed of going to the school, but he came from a poor family that would never be able to cover the high tuition. Despite his poor family, he did everything he could to try and make enrollment. He got the best grades in his school, but due to coming from an unknown background, he was still denied admission. Meanwhile, spoiled little boys and girls with rich families and bad grades bought their admission.

It made Ash sick that while he worked hard his entire life to try and get a better future, he was still pushed aside. Without a father to help pay for a higher education, the only choice Ash had was to set off alone on his Pokemon journey. Even to this day his heart was full of regret for not being able to attend to the top rated school. That was the main reason why he visited Poketech Academy three years ago, to see what he was missing.

When he first arrived, he wasn't surprised at what he saw. A bunch of spoiled kids from rich families walking around bragging about their weak Pokemon. Most of the Pokemon the children had were gifts, and they didn't even know how to properly use a Pokeball. The campus was littered with worthless Pokemon, such as Spearow, Pidgey, and Rattata. It angered him that while he was outside starving in a tent every night with his friends, these children were living a life of luxury inside this mansion, pretending to be Pokemon masters.

It was also the school where he met Giselle, the top rated trainer of the academy. Giselle was perhaps the most beautiful girl he has met over his travels. She had long black hair and brown eyes. Despite the fact that she was only ten years old like Ash, she was already developing a nice female figure, which her school uniform showed off nicely. She was so pretty that even Brock attempted to date her, despite the fact that she was six years younger than himself. It's actually pretty disgusting now that Ash looked back on it. It's a good thing he stopped associating with him.

When he first met her, she was nothing more than a brat. She bullied the other students just because she was stronger than them. She treated her Pokemon as tools instead of equal companions that could share their life together, enraging the young and naive Ash. Right away, he challenged her to a battle.

After a hard fought challenge, Ash was finally able to overcome the rich girls Cubone. Giselle finally admitted she was wrong, and he set off on his next adventure. It happened three years ago, and Ash met many different girls and schools over his travels, so his thoughts were a little fuzzy of the place. He was broken out of thoughts by an annoying high pitched whine.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing here? This is Poketech academy, a place for the future training elite. A poor looking guy like you shouldn't be anywhere near here, get out of my site."

Ash looked up to see the little boy that was yelling at him. He was wearing the famous Poketech jacket, showing his status as one of the top trainers of the school. It was fancy, and made of the finest of silk in the Kanto region. Ash realized right away he was looking at one of the richest members of the Poketech Academy, and causing any trouble with him was not a wise move. Still, Ash was not in the mood for games. Walking over to the boy, he picked him up by the neck and held him in the air.

"Shut the hell up you spoiled little brat...I'm not in the mood for you now. I'm looking for a girl named Giselle, she should be a senior in this disgusting school of yours. Do you know her?"

Ash smiled as he watched the boy try and wriggle his way out of his grasp. He took pleasure in the terror in his eyes. He knew that the boy was probably treated like royalty his entire life, and this was the first time he was ever punished or harmed for his behavior. Still, he wouldn't answer Ash's question, and only continued to try and break free of Ash's grasp. This only enraged Ash more. Tightening his grip on the boy even more, he smiled in delight as the boys face turned a sickly pale color. He began coughing violently as he could no longer breath.

"WELL?" Ash yelled as he needed an answer. Despite how much it would satisfy Ash, he couldn't actually kill the boy. And if he kept up this act any longer, death was a strong possibility. Finally, with a look of fear on his face, the boy nodded. Ash smiled.

"Good, now go tell her Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is waiting for her at the main gate, and make it fast." Ash said as he threw the boy face first into the dirt. Ash grinned in satisfaction as he heard the cracking of the boys bones. "Also, if you dare tell anyone what I just did to you, I'll finish what I started a couple minutes ago, is that clear?"

The boy just nodded, gasping for air, and quickly stood up and ran into the school. When he was finally out of sight, Ash sighed. He never thought he'd be back here again. Sitting down on a log, he patiently waited for his future protégé to arrive. Maybe seeing Giselle after all this time would do him some good. She was strong, after all, and he had no time to waste with the weak. Maybe after she graduated, he could even let her accompany him on his future journeys. He was starting to get lonely.

Giselle smiled as she continued to hum a tune while packing her suitcase. Her long black hair that reached down to her knees swayed back and forth as she ran about the room packing her most beautiful outfits for her three day trip. She would finally be reunited with the boy who changed her entire life, and she could look nothing but her best. It was Ash that saved her from a dark life of loneliness and misery. He was the one that taught her how important friendship was. If it wasn't for him, well, she was afraid to think where she'd be right now.

Growing up, Giselle was a spoiled little girl. Her father, the inventor of the Great Ball and Ultra Ball, was one of the richest men in the world. By improving on the weak and ineffective Pokeball, her father made Pokemon capturing not only easier, but more effective. People no longer had to endure long drawn out battles to capture their prized Pokemon. Some people didn't even have to fight the Pokemon at all now. Even old men and women in retirement could now catch and train Pokemon, opening up the market to everyone. It was no longer only a sport for young kids full of energy. Due to this, her father was considered a genius. He was one of the most famous and respected scientists in Pokemon technology. Not to mention the wealthiest.

And growing up, Giselle was treated like royalty. Anything she wanted, she got it. With her beauty, money, and natural talent, people would bow at her feet. That was, until she met **him**. He was the first boy that showed no interest in her. In fact, he was actually mean to her. He didn't compliment her or try to get on her good side. Ash openly insulted and mocked her. He challenged her to a Pokemon battle, and despite the fact that his Pikachu's electrical attacks were ineffective against her Cubone, he was still able to win. And then he left her, all alone, to try and sort out her crazy feelings.

It defied all logic, and turned her entire world upside down. She lived her entire life believing that Pokemon were nothing more than tools to be used in battle. Something that could increase your standing with the public, and impress others. But Ash taught her that there was something you couldn't measure with just levels or Pokemon types, and that was love. The bond between a trainer and their Pokemon. A special bond that can only be formed through love and friendship, and a bond that would allow a low leveled Pikachu to defeat her Cubone.

At first she lived through life fearing that she would never meet him again. She tried to follow news about him as much as she could. Ash would often make headlines for the amazing tasks he completed. He saved countless towns, Pokemon, and lives throughout his journeys. He even saved the entire world a couple times. Giselle would often rush to her dorm right after class to read about him in her many Pokemon newspapers and magazines. With each and every story, Giselle found herself falling more and more in love with Ash, the boy who completely changed her views on life. She became better and better friends with her Pokemon in the hopes of one day reuniting with the boy she fell in love with and showing him how far she came.

But time passed, and she grew older. As she was stuck to this school, rotting away, Ash was thousands of miles away catching wild Pokemon and probably meeting much more interesting girls than her. He was challenging gym leaders from all around the world, and entering in the top competitions the Pokeworld had to offer. Just when she thought she would never see him again, she heard rumors about an extremely strong trainer returning back to his home in Pallet town to visit his mother.

At first she thought Ash forgotten about her, and knew he wouldn't waste time to come and visit a schoolgirl while he could be out traveling the world with mature and beautiful women. But, just in time, she was assigned her final school project, which was a perfect excuse to be reunited with her crush. The task was to follow a proven Pokemon master on his journey for a total of three days and to write a report on what she learned. She sent a letter to Ash right away, knowing he'd be in town, and to her surprise she actually got a response! Her heart soared when she read that Ash was willing to stop by and show her around the world, and she counted the days until she could finally meet him again.

Well, that day was finally here. She would finally be reunited with the man of her dreams, and be able to show him what a nice, sweet girl she could really be. With these thoughts in mind, she giggled. Grabbing her suitcase, she darted down the dormitory steps and out the door with a big smile on her face. Today was the day she had waited years for.

A/N – Giselle is such a cute girl...I wish other people would write stories about her.


End file.
